I'm moving away from running trains around a boring oval, and what scale is best for operating a small yard in a 2 x 8 ft layout? I used to play N scale in an oval layout but it became boring. Is HO the best scale for a switching layout? Is N scale too small to decouple a car? I'm tempted to go with O scale because Lionel Legacy locomotives have a "Electro-coupler" but their price tag is expensive. Any ideas?
Here's a link to my 3-rail O-gauge switching layout, for an idea or two.......................
3-rail O-gauge Switching Layout
Yeah, the loco was a bit expensive. But the track and switches were even more expensive. Of course, at 2' x 8', you would only have roughly half the expense in track work that I did, with my layout being 2' x 16'.
The loco sound system is fantastic, and just seems way more realistic coming out of a bigger O-gauge model, as opposed to the smaller scales. Uncoupling by hand or Electro-couplers is super easy either way with O-gauge. The deep wheel flanges and tall rails virtually eliminate derailing (unless you forget to throw the switch to the proper direction - oops!
).
Rolling stock wouldn't have to cost all that much. For one thing, there's a big, second-hand market for O-gauge, and a lot of really nice freight cars can be had at very attractive prices. And for another thing, it doesn't take too many O-gauge cars to fill up our layout.
One caveat though, since 3-rail O-gauge has its roots in toy trains, there's a LOT of variation in the the actual scale sizes of the trains. Most of the scale sizes vary anywhere from 1/4" scale (1/48), "Traditional" size (approx. 1/56 scale, give or take), down to 3/16" scale (1/64). There are a few even slightly larger and slightly smaller sizes than within these parameters. It can be a steep learning curve trying to figure out just exactly what the real size is you're getting, because the manufacturers rarely tell you exactly what the true, scale size of a loco or the rolling stock actually is - they simply say it's O-gauge. One good thing to know though, all the Lionel Legacy series are a true 1/48 scale size. Bottom line in any case - do your homework thoroughly before buying anything in O-gauge, if you want your locos, rolling stock, and even structures, signals, vehicles, and all other odds and ends to match size-wise.